about

Published in 1860, Burckhardt's great work redefined our sense of the European past, wholly reinterpreting what has since been known simply as the Italian Renaissance. With unsurpassed erudition, Burckhardt illuminates a world of artistic and cultural ferment, innovation, and discovery; of revived humanism; of fierce tensions between church and empire; and of the birth of both the modern state and the modern individual. The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy remains the single most important and influential account of this crucial moment in the history of the West.

About The Author

Jacob Burckhardt was born on September 10, 1891, in Basel, Switzerland. He attended the universities of Basel, Munich, Goettingen, Zurich, and Paris. A diplomat, professor, and writer, his best-known literary work was a biography of Richelieu. Burckhardt also wrote The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy, The Age of Constantine th...